The PCT-L (Listserv): Pacific Crest Trail Email You Don’t Want

Members of the Pacific Crest Trail hiking community have taken to using various forms of social media and electronic communication as a means of keeping in touch with one another.

The PCT-L (or PCT-Listserv) relays emails from individual members to the entire group as a means of facilitating intelligent discussion between past and prospective hikers. Now before I go on I would like to say that the PCT-L is a great resource for anyone interested in hiking the trail and as a member myself I find it incredibly useful as a planning tool.

Visual Approximation of the PCT-L

That being said, since the moderation of the list is limited, the PCT-L forum can sometimes resemble that of an elementary school playground, complete with bickering children and that one girl who won't stop screaming because she so desperately needs to make up for all the attention her parents deny her on a daily basis.

It can be quite entertaining.

You will find heated debates over what gear is best (useful), bickering and bitching about marijuana enthusiasts on the trail (entertaining), the criticism of a hiker's decision to bring a certain item on the trail (rude), and questions that have no business being asked in the first place (useless).

A little of everything.

I filter all the emails from the PCT-L into a folder and browse them separate from my inbox to avoid it being flooded, and if I choose to post I do so from one of my throwaway email accounts to avoid being identified on the trail as “that guy who sent those pictures out”.

So join the PCT-L and join in the fun (really, there are some gems in here).